Securing emergency and safety equipment on aircraft

ABSTRACT

An emergency equipment system comprising an elongate member, an emergency equipment package, and a cutter. The elongate member may have a first end and an angled end. The emergency equipment package may have a sleeve on one side capable of receiving the elongate member from the angled end. The cutter may be attached to a side of the elongate member and may be capable of cutting the sleeve.

This application is a divisional application of U.S. application Ser.No. 12/059,891, entitled “SECURING EMERGENCY AND SAFETY EQUIPMENT ONAIRCRAFT,” filed Mar. 31, 2008, status, Pending.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

1. Field

The present disclosure relates generally to aircraft and in particularto emergency and safety equipment for aircraft. Still more particularly,the present disclosure relates to securing emergency and safetyequipment on aircraft.

2. Background

Airline procedures may be important to ensure the safety for passengersusing air travel. Currently, inspections of the interior of an aircraftmay be made to ensure that the required minimum equipment may be presentbefore flight, for example, that life vests may be present in allpassenger seats. Any missing equipment may be required to be replacedbefore flight.

Also, interior inspections may be made to prevent placement or identifyprohibited objects and/or items in an aircraft in place of or withemergency equipment. The current inspections may be performed to ensurethe finding of and/or disposing of these types of objects. Aircraftregularly undergo vigorous inspections each day, for example, whilecleaning the aircraft between flights resulting in several man-hours perairplane per day. In addition, some emergency equipment, such as, forexample without limitation, life vests are taken by passengers causingreplacement costs to aircraft operators.

These and other types of inspections may be time consuming and mayincrease the amount of time needed between flights. These types ofinspections may reduce the number of flights possible, as well asrequiring increased personnel to perform inspections.

Attempts have been made to make inspections easier to perform. Forexample, life vests may be placed into boxes or compartments with doors.These doors may then be sealed with a tamper evident device. A tamperevident device may be a device that provides a visual indication when asealed door becomes disturbed, moved, and/or tampered. As a result, avisual inspection may be quickly made to determine whether the tamperevident device is intact.

With respect to inspecting life vest pouches, an inspector may pull outthe life vest, pat down the life vest, and perform a visual inspectionof the inside of the pouch. This inspection may be performed for everyseat every morning before the first flight of the day. Cleaning crewsalso may perform a cursory inspection of the vest and pouch to determineif the vest may still be in place.

Visually inspecting the spaces, including seat cushions, is laborintensive. This type of inspection increases expense and time to operateflights. Most spaces in an aircraft may not be accessed or tampered withthe majority of the time.

Therefore, it would be advantageous to have an improved method andapparatus to overcome the problems described above.

SUMMARY

An advantageous embodiment of the present disclosure provides anemergency equipment system comprising an elongate member, an emergencyequipment package, and a cutter. The elongate member may have a firstend and an angled end. The emergency equipment package may have a sleeveon one side capable of receiving the elongate member from the angledend. The cutter may be attached to a side of the elongate member and maybe capable of cutting the sleeve.

In another advantageous embodiment, an emergency equipment systemcomprises a housing, a moveable door, an interior wall, and a lockingmechanism. The housing may have an opening, and the moveable door may beattached to the opening. The interior wall is capable of being movedinto a location towards the opening when a piece of emergency equipmentlocated within the housing is moved in a first direction. The lockingmechanism may be capable of locking the interior wall in the location.

In yet another advantageous embodiment, an aircraft emergency equipmentsystem is present for securing an emergency equipment package to abottom side of an aircraft seat. The aircraft emergency equipment systemcomprising an elongate member, an emergency equipment package, a cutter,and a conductive sensor. The elongate member has a first end and anangled end. The emergency equipment package has a sleeve on one sidecapable of receiving the elongate member from the angled end. The cutteris attached to a side of the elongate member and is capable of cuttingthe sleeve. The conductive sensor is attached to one end of the ripperbar, wherein the conductive sensor is in an open state while the sleeveis secured to the ripper bar preventing the conductive sensor fromcontacting the elongate member and wherein the conductive sensor is in aclosed state and when the emergency equipment package is moved towardsthe second end a selected distance and the conductive sensor contactsthe elongate member, the sensor generates an indication. The emergencyequipment package is capable of being secured to the elongate member bythe sleeve and wherein moving the emergency equipment package secured onthe elongate member a selected distance towards the angled end causesthe cutter to cut the sleeve.

In still another advantageous embodiment, a method is provided tomonitor aircraft emergency equipment in an aircraft. An emergencyequipment package is placed onto an elongate member having a first endand an angled end, wherein the elongate member is located on a bottomside of an aircraft seat and wherein the emergency equipment package hasa sleeve on one side capable of receiving the elongate member from theangled end in which a cutter is attached to a side of the elongatemember and is capable of cutting the sleeve. A conductive sensorattached to around one end of the ripper bar is monitored, wherein theconductive sensor is in an open state while the sleeve is secured to theripper bar preventing the conductive sensor from contacting the elongatemember and wherein the conductive sensor is in a closed state when theemergency equipment package is moved towards the second end a selecteddistance and the conductive sensor contacts the elongate member whereinthe sensor generates an indication. In response to detecting theindication, an alert is generated.

The features, functions, and advantages can be achieved independently invarious embodiments of the present disclosure or may be combined in yetother embodiments in which further details can be seen with reference tothe following description and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The novel features believed characteristic of the advantageousembodiments are set forth in the appended claims. The advantageousembodiments, however, as well as a preferred mode of use, furtherobjectives and advantages thereof, will best be understood by referenceto the following detailed description of an advantageous embodiment ofthe present disclosure when read in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an aircraft manufacturing and servicemethod in accordance with an advantageous embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a diagram of an aircraft in which an advantageous embodimentmay be implemented;

FIG. 3 is an illustration of a portion of a passenger cabin inaccordance with an advantageous embodiment;

FIG. 4 is an illustration of an aircraft seat in accordance with anadvantageous embodiment;

FIG. 5 is an illustration of a block diagram of an aircraft seat with anemergency equipment system in accordance with an advantageousembodiment;

FIG. 6 is an illustration of another emergency equipment system inaccordance with an advantageous embodiment;

FIG. 7 is an illustration of a top view of an emergency equipment systemin accordance with an advantageous embodiment;

FIG. 8 is an illustration an emergency equipment package for use in anemergency equipment system in accordance with an advantageousembodiment;

FIG. 9 is an illustration of an emergency equipment system in accordancewith an advantageous embodiment;

FIG. 10 is an illustration of a side view of a ripper bar in anemergency equipment system in accordance with an advantageousembodiment;

FIG. 11 is an illustration of a side view of an emergency equipmentsystem in accordance with an advantageous embodiment;

FIG. 12 is an illustration of a partially removed emergency equipmentpackage in accordance with an advantageous embodiment;

FIG. 13 is an illustration of an emergency equipment system installed inan aircraft seat in accordance with an advantageous embodiment;

FIGS. 14 and 15 are a more detailed illustration of components in anemergency equipment system in accordance with an advantageousembodiment;

FIG. 16 is an illustration of a side cross sectional view of anemergency equipment system in accordance with an advantageousembodiment;

FIGS. 17 and 18 are illustrations of an emergency equipment system inaccordance with an advantageous embodiment;

FIG. 19 is an illustration of a block diagram of a monitoring system isdepicted in accordance with an advantageous embodiment; and

FIG. 20 is a flowchart of a process for monitoring aircraft emergencyequipment in an aircraft in accordance with an advantageous embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring more particularly to the drawings, embodiments of thedisclosure may be described in the context of the aircraft manufacturingand service method 100 as shown in FIG. 1 and aircraft 200 as shown inFIG. 2. Turning first to FIG. 1, a diagram illustrating an aircraftmanufacturing and service method is depicted in accordance with anadvantageous embodiment. During pre-production, exemplary aircraftmanufacturing and service method 100 may include specification anddesign 102 of aircraft 200 in FIG. 2 and material procurement 104.

During production, component and subassembly manufacturing 106 andsystem integration 108 of aircraft 200 in FIG. 2 takes place.Thereafter, aircraft 200 in FIG. 2 may go through certification anddelivery 110 in order to be placed in service 112. While in service by acustomer, aircraft 200 in FIG. 2 may be scheduled for routinemaintenance and service 114, which may include inspections,modification, reconfiguration, refurbishment, and other maintenance orservice.

Each of the processes of aircraft manufacturing and service method 100may be performed or carried out by a system integrator, a third party,and/or an operator. In these examples, the operator may be a customer.For the purposes of this description, a system integrator may include,without limitation, any number of aircraft manufacturers andmajor-system subcontractors; a third party may include, withoutlimitation, any number of venders, subcontractors, and suppliers; and anoperator may be an airline, leasing company, military entity, serviceorganization, and so on.

More specifically, the advantageous embodiments may be implemented tosecure emergency equipment to aircraft seats during component andsubassembly manufacturing 106 and/or system integration 108. Thedifferent advantageous embodiments may be implemented in an aircraftseat as they are built and/or installed into an aircraft. Further, thedifferent advantageous embodiments also may be implemented duringmaintenance and service 114. Existing aircraft seats may be modifiedand/or replaced during this phase to include the different advantageousembodiments.

With reference now to FIG. 2, a diagram of an aircraft is depicted inwhich an advantageous embodiment may be implemented. In this example,aircraft 200 may be produced by aircraft manufacturing and servicemethod 100 in FIG. 1 and may include airframe 202 with a plurality ofsystems 204 and interior 206. Examples of systems 204 include one ormore of propulsion system 208, electrical system 210, hydraulic system212, and environmental system 214. The different advantageousembodiments may be found in interior 206 of aircraft 200 in theseexamples. Any number of other systems may be included. Although anaerospace example is shown, different advantageous embodiments may beapplied to other industries, such as the marine industry.

Apparatus and methods embodied herein may be employed during any one ormore of the stages of aircraft manufacturing and service method 100 inFIG. 1. For example, components or subassemblies produced in componentand subassembly manufacturing 106 in FIG. 1 may be fabricated ormanufactured in a manner similar to components or subassemblies producedwhile aircraft 200 is in service 112 in FIG. 1.

Also, one or more apparatus embodiments, method embodiments, or acombination thereof may be utilized during production stages, such ascomponent and subassembly manufacturing 106 and system integration 108in FIG. 1, for example, without limitation, by substantially expeditingthe assembly of or reducing the initial and/or operating cost ofaircraft 200. Similarly, one or more of apparatus embodiments, methodembodiments, or a combination thereof may be utilized while aircraft 200is in service 112 or during maintenance and service 114 in FIG. 1.

The different advantageous embodiments recognize that some emergencyequipment may be required to be readily accessible by passengers in anemergency situation. The different advantageous embodiments recognizethat much of this equipment may be unprotected from actions, such astheft, tampering, and/or potential use for non-constructive purposes. Asa result, inspections may be required at different times during the sameday to ensure that the emergency equipment has not been removed ortampered with.

The different advantageous embodiments also recognize that existingsystems for securing emergency equipment were designed when differentpassenger environments existed. Many of the systems were not designed toprevent and/or detect tampering and/or theft. These systems also werenot designed for repetitive inspection ergonomics.

The different advantageous embodiments recognize that it may beadvantageous to eliminate or significantly reduce inspectionrequirements whenever possible. Further, the different advantageousembodiments recognize that it may be desirable to secure emergency andsafety equipment in the manner to reduce inspections to limitedlocations, as opposed to inspecting all locations in which emergency andsafety equipment may be located on an aircraft. As used herein, the termemergency equipment refers to emergency and/or safety equipment.

The different advantageous embodiments recognize that currently usedmechanisms involve, for example, tamper evident devices, wires, and/orcable ties to secure emergency equipment, such as, for example, withoutlimitation, life vests in a pouch under an aircraft seat. As usedherein, both emergency and safety equipment may be referred to asemergency equipment. The different advantageous embodiments recognizethat the use of cable ties and/or wires may make it difficult to reachemergency equipment if this equipment becomes needed. The differentadvantageous embodiments also recognize the current used method oftamper evident devices placed over openings may not work well withpouches or flexible materials.

Current mechanisms also may use rigid boxes with rigid doors that may besealed with tamper evident tape. This current process may reduceinspections, but still requires a non-ergonomic visual inspection toensure that the tamper evident tape may still be in place. Further, theuse of tamper evident tape or other devices may be aestheticallyundesirable. Also, in some cases, the tamper evident tape may have beenaccidentally compromised even though the box may not have been opened.Thus, the different advantageous embodiments provide emergency equipmentsystems for use in a passenger cabin.

With reference now to FIG. 3, an illustration of a portion of apassenger cabin is depicted in accordance with an advantageousembodiment. In this example, passenger cabin 300 is an example of aseating area that may be present in interior 206 of aircraft 200.Passenger cabin 300 may include passenger seating in seating area 302.Passenger seating may include aircraft seats 304, 306, 308, 310, 312,314, 316, 318, and 320.

Further, seating area 302 in passenger cabin 300 may also includestorage areas, such as overhead compartments 322, 324, and 326.Passenger cabin 300 also may include lavatory 328 and galley area 330.These two areas may be partitioned or separated from seating area 302 bya partitioning structure such as, for example, without limitation, wall332. Lavatory 328 may have door 334, which allows entry into lavatory328. Further, galley area 330 may include carts 336, 338, and 340, whichmay be stored under counter 342. Further, galley area 330 also mayinclude cabinets 344. Cabinets 344 may store various items, such as, forexample, without limitation, drinks, tableware, plates, cups, napkins,coffee, and other suitable items for galley area 330.

This illustration of passenger cabin 300 for an aircraft is provided forpurposes of illustrating one environment in which the differentadvantageous embodiments may be implemented. The illustration ofpassenger cabin 300 in FIG. 3 is not meant to imply architecturallimitations as to the manner in which different advantageous embodimentsmay be implemented.

For example, other areas may be present in addition to passenger seatingarea 302, lavatory 328, and galley area 330. Other areas may include,for example, without limitation, closets, storage areas, lounges, andother suitable areas for passenger seating. As another example, aircraftseats within seating area 302 may be arranged differently from thedepicted example.

In other advantageous embodiments, seats may be grouped into sets ofthree, four, five, or any number of aircraft seats instead of two orsingle seats as illustrated in seating area 302. The differentadvantageous embodiments provide emergency equipment systems that may beintegrated into aircraft seats, such as those illustrate in FIG. 3.

With reference now to FIG. 4, an illustration of an aircraft seat isdepicted in accordance with an advantageous embodiment. Aircraft seat400 is an example of an aircraft seat from seating area 302 in FIG. 3 inwhich an emergency equipment system may be implemented. This emergencysystem may be implemented as part of aircraft seat 400, such as whenmanufacturing aircraft seat 400. In other advantageous embodiments, theemergency equipment system may be added to aircraft seat 400 at a latertime, such as during maintenance operations.

In this illustrative example, aircraft seat 400 may include frame 402,some of which is not shown, which may provide the structure for aircraftseat 400. Further, aircraft seat 400 also may include seat back 403,seat cushion 404, arm rest 406, and arm rest 408. In the differentadvantageous embodiments, emergency equipment may be secured using anemergency equipment system located under seat cushion 404 around bottomside 410 of seat cushion 404. This illustration of aircraft seat 400 isprovided as an example of one type of aircraft seat in which anemergency equipment system may be implemented. This illustration is notmeant to imply limitation as to the type aircraft seat in whichdifferent advantageous embodiments may be implemented.

With reference now to FIG. 5, an illustration of a block diagram of anaircraft seat with an emergency equipment system is depicted inaccordance with an advantageous embodiment. In this example, emergencyequipment system 500 may be installed in aircraft seat 502. Aircraftseat 502 may be an aircraft seat, such as, for example, aircraft seat400 in FIG. 4.

Emergency equipment system 500 may include elongate member 504, cutter506, sensor 508, and emergency equipment package 510. In these examples,elongate member 504 may be attached to aircraft seat 502 on bottom side512 of seat pan 514. In these advantageous embodiments, elongate member504 may alternatively be attached to seat frame 516. Elongate member 504may provide a structure for holding and/or securing emergency equipmentpackage 510.

As depicted, emergency equipment package 510 may include package 518,sleeve 520, and emergency equipment 522. In these examples, emergencyequipment 522 may take the form of life vest 524. Emergency equipment522 may take other forms. For example, without limitation, emergencyequipment 522 also may be, for example, a location device, a raft, asmokehood, a fire extinguisher, a portable oxygen unit, a defibrillator,a signaling device, a radio flashlight, a megaphone, or some othersuitable emergency equipment.

Package 518 may encompass or contain emergency equipment 522. Package518 may be, for example, a sealable plastic bag, or some other packagingsystem. In these advantageous embodiments, package 518 may be an airevacuated package. In this manner, attempts at tampering and/or theftmay be easily identified based on whether package 518 may be intact. Inthese examples, sleeve 520 may be manufactured as part of package 518.

In other advantageous embodiments, sleeve 520 may be attached orotherwise secured to package 518. A simple shop rework method may existfor qualified personnel to easily replace sleeve 520 on the undamagedlife vest packaging for future use and/or a simple method may exist forqualified personnel to place any undamaged, partially or completelyremoved life vest in a new life vest packaging with an integral sleeve520 for future use. Sleeve 520 may be used to secure emergency equipmentpackage 510 to elongate member 504.

Elongate member 504 may be any rigid and/or semi-rigid structure thatmay receive sleeve 520 to secure emergency equipment package 510 onbottom side 512 of seat pan 514 in these examples. In particular,elongate member 504 may be ripper bar 526. Elongate member 504 may beconstructed from various materials. These materials include, forexample, without limitation, aluminum, steel, titanium, plastic,composite material, or any other suitable material. Such an elongatedmember 504 may not require a separate pouch to accommodate package 518.In addition, with this embodiment, objects may not be placed and/orstored on the top side of the elongated member 504.

Additionally, pull cord 528 may be attached to emergency equipmentpackage 510 to aid in removing emergency equipment package 510 frombottom side 512 of seat pan 514 when access to emergency equipmentpackage 510 may be needed.

After emergency equipment package 510 has been secured to elongatemember 504, attempts to pull or remove emergency equipment package 510may result in sleeve 520 being cut by cutter 506. In this manner,emergency equipment package 510 may not be re-secured on bottom side 512of seat pan 514 after emergency equipment package 510 has been removed.Cutting of this sleeve 520 may place the emergency equipment package 510in a state that this package may not be compromised to any level andthen re-installed or disguised as being in a normal installation and/orcondition. Inspections may become greatly simplified, as the inspectormay only need to verify that the equipment is still properly installed.With the cut sleeve, it becomes obvious to inspectors by the absence ofthe equipment and/or an improper installation.

In other advantageous embodiments, sleeve 520 may be cut by cutter 506if emergency equipment package 510 has been moved some selected distanceon elongate member 504 even though emergency equipment package 510 hasnot been removed from elongate member 504. This situation results in anunusual attitude or positioning of the emergency equipment. Thisattitude or positioning may provide a clear visual to the inspectors ofa presence of a compromised unit.

In these examples, cutter 506 may be located within angled end 529 ofripper bar 526. Angled end 529 may allow sleeve 520 to be slid ontoelongate member 504, bypassing the cutter 506. Angled end 529, however,may prevent sleeve 520 from being slid or moved off ripper bar 526without being cut by cutter 506.

Further, in these advantageous embodiments, movement and/or removal ofemergency equipment package 510 on ripper bar 526 may be detected bysensor 508. In these examples, sensor 508 may take the form of contactswitch 532. In this particular illustrative example, ripper bar 526 maybe a conductive component. Ripper bar 526 may be made from a conductivematerial to provide the conductivity. In other advantageous embodiments,ripper bar 526 may be constructed from a nonconductive material andinclude a conductive coating or surface. With this implementation,sleeve 520 may be a non-conductive sleeve. Sleeve 520 may be positionedbetween contact switch 532 and elongate member 504.

In this manner, removal and/or a selected movement of emergencyequipment package 510 may cause sleeve 520 to move such that contactswitch 532 contacts elongate member 504, generating a signal. Thissignal may be used to indicate that emergency equipment package 510 mayhave been removed and or tampered with. This signal then permitsinspections that initially only require observation of such signalingresults at a central, remote, or local enunciator. Only if a signal hadbeen generated, then a more thorough, yet focused, inspection ensues.

Turning now to FIG. 6, an illustration of another emergency equipmentsystem is depicted in accordance with an advantageous embodiment. Inthis example, emergency equipment system 600 may be installed inaircraft seat 602. In particular, emergency equipment system 600 may belocated on bottom side 604 of seat pan 606. In these examples, emergencyequipment system 600 may be secured to seat frame 608.

Emergency equipment 600 may include housing 610, interior wall 612,locking mechanism 614, sensor 616, and moveable door 618. In theseexamples, housing 610 may be a rigid housing with opening 620. Housing610 may take various forms. For example, without limitation, housing 610may be a rectangular, a square, a cylinder, oval, semi-circular, aprismatic section, or any other suitable shape. Housing 610 may be madefrom various materials. For example, without limitation, the materialsmay be a honeycombed medium, and/or fiber reinforced resin composite,such as carbon fibers in a resin matter, aromatic nylon, para-aramidfibers, polycarbonate resin, Polyetheretherketone, and other suitablematerials.

Moveable door 618 may open and/or close to expose and cover opening 620.Emergency equipment 622 may be placed into housing 610 through opening620.

In these advantageous embodiments, interior wall 612 may move towardsopening 620 as emergency equipment 622 moves towards opening 620.Interior wall 612 may be moved into a location blocking opening 620.This location may form a barrier to close opening 620 or may, in someexamples, prevent access to the interior of housing 610.

Additionally, locking mechanism 614 may prevent interior wall 612 frombeing moved back away from opening 620 to allow replacement of emergencyequipment 622 without key 615. In this manner, emergency equipment 622may not be removed, tampered with, and then replaced into housing 610.Also, other objects may not be placed into housing 610. Inspections maybecome greatly simplified because the inspector would then only need toverify that the housing is in a normal state.

Locking mechanism 614 may take many different forms. For example,without limitation, locking mechanism 614 may be a rail with one-way jamlevers, ratchet stops, slip nuts, drop pins, and/or bars or some othersuitable device allowing only one directional movement withouthindrance. With some mechanisms, interior wall 612 may not be moved in abackward motion. In other advantageous embodiments, interior wall 612may be moved some distance back and forth with locking mechanism 614locking interior wall 612 in place after movement of interior wall 612some distance towards opening 620.

For example, without limitations, if locking mechanism 614 takes theform of a magnetic latch, which may latch interior wall 612 in a mannerthat interior wall 612 may only move forward towards opening 620, key615 may take the form of a magnet. In another non-limiting example, iflocking mechanism 614 takes the form a one-way slip nut, key 615 may bea drill.

Emergency equipment 622 may take the form of life vest 624 in theseexamples. Emergency equipment 622 also may take other forms. Forexample, without limitation, emergency equipment 622 also may be aflotation device, a flashlight, or some other suitable emergency deviceor item.

In these examples, pull cord 626 may be used to aid in the removal ofemergency equipment 622 from housing 610. Pull cord 626 may be directlyattached to emergency equipment 622 and/or interior wall 612. In someembodiments, pull cord 626 may be attached to emergency equipment 622with emergency equipment 622 being attached to interior wall 612. Inthis manner, as emergency equipment 622 moves towards and/or throughopening 620, interior wall 612 may move in the same direction. In otheradvantageous embodiments, pull cord 626 may be attached to interior wall612. Pulling of pull cord 626 through opening 620, may cause interiorwall 612 to move forward, pushing emergency equipment 622 in the samedirection.

Further, in the different advantageous embodiments, sensor 616 may beused to detect when moveable door 618 has been opened. In this manner,emergency equipment system 600 may generate an indicator that tamperingmay have occurred with emergency equipment 622.

The different examples illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6 are not meant toimply architectural limitations as to the manner in which differentadvantageous embodiments may be implemented. The different emergencyequipment systems may include other components and/or functions inaddition to and/or in place of the ones described. For example, in someadvantageous embodiments, the emergency equipment system also mayinclude the emergency equipment.

As another example, in other advantageous embodiments, emergencyequipment 622 in FIG. 6 may include multiple pieces of equipment.Further, although these different advantageous embodiments areillustrated as being secured to a bottom side of a seat pan, theemergency equipment system in the advantageous embodiments may be usedin other locations. For example, without limitation, emergency equipmentsystems may be placed under cabinets, within closets, in overheadcavities and/or other suitable locations.

With reference now to FIG. 7, an illustration of a top view of anemergency equipment system is depicted in accordance with anadvantageous embodiment. In this example, a top view of a portion of anaircraft seat containing an emergency equipment system is depicted inaccordance with an advantageous embodiment. FIG. 7 is an illustration ofone possible implementation for emergency equipment system 500 in FIG.5.

In this illustration, ripper bar 700 may be connected to seat frame 702.In this example, ripper bar 700 may be positioned such that ripper bar700 may be positioned parallel to a surface of the floor. In otheradvantageous embodiments, ripper bar 700 may be positioned at an angleto the floor. In particular, end 704 may be connected to bar 705 of seatframe 702. Angled end 706 may face front 708 of seat frame 702.

With reference now to FIG. 8, an illustration an emergency equipmentpackage for use in an emergency equipment system is depicted inaccordance with an advantageous embodiment. As can be seen in thisexample, emergency equipment package 800 may include bag 802, sleeve804, and pull cord 806. Emergency equipment package 800 also may includethe emergency equipment. This emergency equipment may be, for exampleand without limitation, a life vest, a flotation device, a flashlight,or some other suitable equipment.

In this example, bag 802 may be a sealable bag and may be air evacuated.Bag 802 may be constructed from materials, such as, for example andwithout limitation, polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, nylon, neoprene,polypropylene, and other suitable materials. Further, bag 802 may bemade from materials allowing for bag 802 to be air evacuated and/orsealed. Also, bag 802 the selected materials may be durable and waterresistant. For example, without limitation, a fiber embedded nylontreated for water resistance may be used.

As illustrated, sleeve 804 may be secured or attached to bag 802. Sleeve804 may be made from the same material or from a different material asbag 802. Further, sleeve 804 when secured or attached to bag 802 may bereplaceable. In other advantageous embodiments, sleeve 804 may be formedintegrally as part of bag 802. Sleeve 804 allows ripper bar 700 in FIG.7 to receive sleeve 804 from angled end 706 in FIG. 7.

With reference now to FIG. 9, an illustration of an emergency equipmentsystem is depicted in accordance with an advantageous embodiment. As canbe seen in this illustration, emergency equipment package 800 may besecured to ripper bar 700. Sleeve 804 may move over angled end 706 to besecured onto ripper bar 700. Angled end 706 may prevent sleeve 804 frombeing moved off of ripper bar 700. Equipment package 800 may be removedfrom ripper bar 700 without cutting the sleeve 804 with special trainingand/or tools for maintenance purposes. Additionally, a cutter (shown inFIG. 10) may cut sleeve 804 when emergency equipment package 800 may bemoved forward towards angled end 706 and front 708.

Turning now to FIG. 10, an illustration of a side view of a ripper barin an emergency equipment system is depicted in accordance with anadvantageous embodiment. As can be seen in this example, cutter 1000 maybe located on surface 1001 within angled end 706 of ripper bar 700.

In these examples, cutter 1000 is positioned in a manner to protectagainst injuring a person and/or emergency equipment package 800. Thisillustration also depicts sensor 1002. Sensor 1002 includes conductiveleads 1008 and 1010, which may be connected to a sensor system. Sensor1002 may be formed from clip 1006, ripper bar 704, conductive lead 1008,and conductive lead 1010. As illustrated, conductive lead 1008 may beconnected to clip 1006 and conductive lead 1010 may be connected toripper bar 700. Clip 1006 may be secured to ripper bar 704. Clip 1006may contact ripper bar 704 at point 1004 to generate a closed circuit.

With reference now to FIG. 11, an illustration of a side view of anemergency equipment system is depicted in accordance with anadvantageous embodiment. FIG. 11 may illustrate a nearly installedemergency equipment package.

In this example, emergency equipment package 800 may be slid indirection 1100. As can be seen, sleeve 804 may be slid over angled end706 to be secured onto ripper bar 700. In this example, sleeve 804 hasnot yet slid all the way off of angled end 706. A portion of sleeve 804still covers section 1102 of angled end 706. In this example, clip 1006in sensor 1002 may no longer contact ripper bar 700 at point 1004.Instead, sleeve 804 may be located between clip 1006 and ripper bar 700.

In these examples, ripper bar 700 may be made of a conductive material,and sensor 1002 may be a switch that closes a circuit when sensor 1002contacts ripper bar 700 at point 1004. In these examples, sleeve 804 maybe made from a non-conductive material such that an open circuit statemay occur with sleeve 804 located between clip 1006 and ripper bar 700at point 1004. Once emergency equipment package 800 becomes secured onripper bar 700, emergency equipment package 800 is in a state that doesnot allow reinstallation of the package once the package becomespartially or fully removed from ripper bar 700.

With reference now to FIG. 12, an illustration of a partially removedemergency equipment package is depicted in accordance with anadvantageous embodiment. In this illustration, emergency equipmentpackage 800 may have been moved along the direction of arrow 1200. Ascan be seen in this example, sleeve 804 may have been partially cut bycutter 1000. Further, sleeve 804 may no longer be located between sensor1002 and ripper bar 700 at point 1004. At this point, a closed circuitmay be present and an indication alert may be generated to the sensorsystem through a signal sent through conductive leads 1008 and 1010.

With this integrated sensing system, no inspections may be required iflife vests have been not recorded as removed. Further, this type ofsystem allows for easy installation of emergency equipment package 800by maintenance crews. When sleeve 804 becomes ripped, another sleeve maybe attached or secured to emergency package 800.

Additionally, when sleeve 804 is formed integrally as part of emergencyequipment package 800, this package may be designed such that theemergency equipment may be easily placed into another intact emergencyequipment package. Thus, in these examples, the design of sleeve 804 andemergency equipment package 800 in combination with ripper bar 700 mayprovide a system that allows the maintenance crew to quickly replaceand/or install emergency equipment in a secure fashion. Further, thistype of system may remove the need for a separate life vest pouchlocated under the seat. In this manner, an additional space allowing forplacement of unwanted and/or undesired objects may be eliminated.

With reference now to FIG. 13, an illustration of an emergency equipmentsystem installed in an aircraft seat is depicted in accordance with anadvantageous embodiment. FIG. 13 is an example of one implementation ofemergency equipment system 600 in FIG. 6. In this example, housing 1300may be installed under aircraft seat 1302. In particular, housing 1300may be installed under seat cushion 1304 and attached to seat pan 1306.In this example, housing 1300 may be positioned at an angle usingmounting wedge 1308 to allow easier access to emergency equipmentpackage 1310 located within housing 1300.

With reference now to FIG. 14, a more detailed illustration ofcomponents in an emergency equipment system is depicted in accordancewith an advantageous embodiment. As depicted, interior wall 1402 may belocated behind emergency equipment 1400 inside housing 1300. In thisillustration, interior wall 1402 may be moveably attached to bar 1404,which may be located on one or both sides of housing 1300 to preventobstructing emergency equipment 1400. Interior wall 1402 may slideforward or backward along bar 1404. In these advantageous embodiments,locking mechanism 1405 may be included to prevent interior wall 1402from sliding backwards when emergency equipment 1400 moves from housing1300. In this illustration, door 1406 may be in a closed position.

Pull cord 1408 may allow a person access to emergency equipment 1400when needed. Pulling pull cord 1408 may open door 1406 and moveemergency equipment 1400 out of housing 1300. In this example, pull cord1408 may be connected to interior wall 1402. Pull cord 1408 may be usedto move interior wall 1402 forward along with emergency equipment 1400.Sensor 1410 may be used to detect when door 1406 has been opened. As aresult, sensor 1410 may be used to indicate when housing 1300 may havebeen opened and/or accessed. In this manner, an inspection may only needto be made of housing 1300 and not other housings containing emergencyequipment under other aircraft seats.

With reference now to FIG. 15, emergency equipment 1400 has been pulledoutwards from housing 1300. Door 1406 is open and interior wall 1402 hasmoved forward on bar 1404. In these advantageous embodiments, interiorwall 1402 cannot be moved backwards to allow emergency equipment 1400 tobe placed back into housing 1300 without a key (not shown) for lockingmechanism 1405.

With reference now to FIG. 16, an illustration of a side cross sectionalview of an emergency equipment system is depicted in accordance with anadvantageous embodiment. In this example, housing 1600 may includeinterior wall 1602. Interior wall 1602 may slide forward in thedirection of arrow 1604 in this example.

Interior wall 1602 slides forward as emergency equipment 1606 moves inthe direction of arrow 1604. In these examples, cylinder unit 1608 andrecess 1612 may form a locking mechanism, which may prevent interiorwall 1602 from moving in the direction of arrow 1610. Cylinder unit 1608may be attached to interior wall 1602. Cylinder unit 1608 may includemoveable cylinder 1614, which may be moveable along the directions ofarrow 1610. Cylinder unit 1608 may be, for example, without limitation,a metal cylinder, a magnet, or some other suitable material.

Recess 1612 also may be present in housing 1600. Recess 1612 may bepositioned within housing 1600 to receive cylinder unit 1608. In thisexample, recess 1612 may have steps 1616 to allow cylinder unit 1608 toprogressively be received into recess 1612. In this manner, movement ofinterior wall 1602 in the direction of arrow 1613 may be prevented afterinterior wall 1602 has traveled some distance in the direction of arrow1604. Although recess 1612 is illustrated as only extending along asmall portion of housing 1600, recess 1612 may be implemented usingdifferent lengths. For example, additional steps may be included insteps 1616 such that recess 1612 extends along additional portions ofhousing 1602. In this manner, additional incremental limiting ofmovement in the direction of arrow 1613 may be provided.

Turning now to FIGS. 17 and 18, illustrations of an emergency equipmentsystem are depicted in accordance with an advantageous embodiment. Inthis example, in FIG. 17, emergency equipment 1606 has been moved out ofhousing 1600 in a manner that cylinder unit 1608 has been engaged inrecess 1612. At this point, interior wall 1602 cannot be moved indirection 1700 without a key, shown in FIG. 18 below. Interior wall 1602blocks interior 1702 of housing 1600 from being accessed. In thismanner, emergency equipment 1606, or some other object, may not beplaced into housing 1600 until cylinder unit 1608 has been disengagedfrom recess 1612.

In FIG. 18, cylinder unit 1608 may be disengaged from recess 1612 toallow interior wall 1602 to be moved in the direction of arrow 1800.Cylinder unit 1608 may be disengaged from recess 1612 using key 1802. Inthis example, key 1802 may be a magnet (not shown).

Although specific examples of locking mechanisms have been depicted inthese figures, the illustrations are not meant to limit the manner inwhich different locking mechanisms may be used to secure an interiorwall in a housing. Other locking mechanisms, such as, for example, a oneway slip nut on a bolt, a ratchet on a bar with teeth, and othersuitable mechanisms may be used to prevent movement of an interior wallin two directions without a key.

With reference now to FIG. 19, an illustration of a block diagram of amonitoring system is depicted in accordance with an advantageousembodiment. In this example, monitoring system 600 may be an example ofa monitoring system that may be found in an aircraft, such as aircraft200 in FIG. 2. Monitoring system 1900 is an example of monitoring system216 within systems 204 in FIG. 2.

Monitoring system 1900 in these examples may include aircraft dataprocessing system 1902 and sensor network 1904. Aircraft data processingsystem 602 may be, for example, a computer, a line replaceable unit, orsome other suitable component capable of performing operations tomonitor sensors. Aircraft data processing system 6102 monitors sensornetwork 1904 for signals or messages that may indicate a presence ofunauthorized access to an area in the aircraft.

Sensor network 1904 may contain different types of sensors to monitorvarious states within the aircraft. Sensor network 1904 may include, forexample, without limitation, a temperature sensor, a biometric unit, anair flow detector, a switch, and/or some other suitable sensor device.Sensor 1906 may be part of sensor network 9104.

In these examples, sensor network 1904 may detect a state of sensor1906. Sensor 1906 in this advantageous embodiment may be, for example,sensor 508 in FIG. 5 or sensor 616 in FIG. 6.

Turning to FIG. 20, a flowchart of a process for monitoring aircraftemergency equipment in an aircraft is depicted in accordance with anadvantageous embodiment. The process illustrated in FIG. 20 may beimplemented using a monitoring system, such as monitoring system 1900 inFIG. 19.

The process begins by placing an emergency equipment package onto anelongate member located under a bottom side of an aircraft seat(operation 2000). The elongate member has a first end and an angled end,wherein the elongate member is located on a bottom side of an aircraftseat. The emergency equipment package has a sleeve on one side capableof receiving the elongate member from the angled end in which a cutterattached to a side of the elongate member is capable of cutting thesleeve.

A conductive sensor is attached to around one end of the ripper bar. Theconductive sensor is in an open state while the sleeve is secured to theripper bar preventing the conductive sensor from contacting the elongatemember. The conductive sensor is in a closed state and when theemergency equipment package is moved towards the second end a selecteddistance and the conductive sensor contacts the elongate member, thesensor generates an indication.

A second emergency equipment package may be placed into a housinglocated on a bottom side of a second aircraft seat (operation 2002). Thehousing has an opening, a moveable door attached to the opening, aninterior wall capable of being moved into a location towards the openingwhen a piece of emergency equipment located within the housing is movedin a first direction, and a locking mechanism capable of locking theinterior wall in the location. The housing also has a sensor capable ofdetecting movement of the moveable door, wherein this sensor generatesan indication when the moveable door has been opened.

The process then monitors the sensors for an indication (operation2004). In response to detecting the indication, the process generates analert (operation 2006) with the process terminating thereafter.

In this manner, this advantageous embodiment may provide an ability todetect when emergency equipment may have been tampered with and/orremoved from a housing. Further, the different advantageous embodimentsalso may prevent replacement of emergency equipment once the emergencyequipment has been removed from the housing. The different advantageousembodiments may provide a moveable partition that locks and/or movesonly in a direction towards the opening of the housing. In this manner,as an emergency equipment package is removed, the amount of volumeand/or space within the housing may be reduced to prevent replacement ofthe emergency equipment package. Further, this moveable partition alsomay prevent other objects from being placed into the housing afterremoval of an emergency equipment package.

The description of the different advantageous embodiments has beenpresented for purposes of illustration and description, and is notintended to be exhaustive or limited to the embodiments in the formdisclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to thoseof ordinary skill in the art. Although the different advantageousembodiments, in the illustrative examples, are describe with respect toan aircraft, one or more the different advantageous embodiments may beapplied to other vehicles other than aircraft, such as, for example,without limitation, a bus, a passenger ship, a spacecraft, a submarine,a train, and other suitable vehicles.

Further, different advantageous embodiments may provide differentadvantages as compared to other advantageous embodiments. The embodimentor embodiments selected are chosen and described in order to bestexplain the principles of the embodiments, the practical application,and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand thedisclosure for various embodiments with various modifications as aresuited to the particular use contemplated.

What is claimed is:
 1. An emergency equipment system comprising: ahousing having an opening; a moveable door attached to the opening; aninterior wall located within the housing configured to be moved into alocation towards the opening when a piece of emergency equipment locatedwithin the housing is moved in a first direction; a locking mechanismconfigured to lock the interior wall in the location; and where in theinterior wall in the location blocks the opening and prevents the pieceof emergency equipment from being placed back into the housing after thepiece of emergency equipment has been removed from the housing.
 2. Theemergency equipment system of claim 1, wherein the interior wall isconfigured to move in a second direction if a key is applied to thehousing.
 3. The emergency equipment system of claim 1 furthercomprising: a sensor configured to monitor movement of the moveabledoor, wherein the sensor generates an indication when the moveable doorhas been opened.
 4. The emergency equipment system of claim 1, whereinthe locking mechanism comprises: a channel; and a magnetic latchconfigured to engage the channel to lock the interior wall in thelocation.
 5. The emergency equipment system of claim 1, wherein thelocking mechanism comprises: a ratchet on a shaft configured to be movedonly in the first direction without a key, wherein the interior wall isattached to the ratchet.
 6. The emergency equipment system of claim 1,wherein the locking mechanism comprises: a one way slip nut on a bolt,wherein the interior wall is attached to the one way slip nut.
 7. Theemergency equipment system of claim 1 further comprising: an aircraftseat frame, wherein the housing is attached to a first side of theaircraft seat frame opposite to a second side of the aircraft seat framedesigned to receive a seat cushion.
 8. The emergency equipment system ofclaim 1, wherein the housing is comprised of a rigid material.
 9. Theemergency equipment system of claim 1, wherein the piece of emergencyequipment is selected from one of a life vest, a smokehood, a fireextinguisher, a portable oxygen unit, a defibrillator, and a megaphone.10. A method comprising: using an emergency equipment system comprising:a housing having an opening; a moveable door attached to the opening; aninterior wall located within the housing configured to be moved into alocation towards the opening when a piece of emergency equipment locatedwithin the housing is moved in a first direction; and a lockingmechanism configured to lock the interior wall in the location. Whereinusing includes: moving the piece of emergency equipment in the firstdirection; moving the interior wall into the location towards theopening; locking the interior wall in the location; and the interiorwall in the location blocking the opening and preventing the piece ofemergency equipment form being placed back into the housing after thepiece of emergency equipment has been removed from the housing.
 11. Themethod of claim 10, wherein the interior wall is configured to move in asecond direction if a key is applied to the housing, and wherein themethod further comprises: moving the interior wall to the seconddirection using the key.
 12. The method of claim 10, wherein theemergency equipment system further comprises a sensor configured tomonitor movement of the moveable door, wherein the sensor is configuredto generate an indication when the moveable door has been opened, andwherein the method further comprises: opening the door; and generatingthe indication responsive to the moveable door being opened.
 13. Themethod of claim 10, wherein the locking mechanism comprises: a channeland a magnetic latch configured to engage the channel to lock theinterior wall in the location, and wherein locking further comprises:engaging the channel with the magnetic lock
 14. The method of claim 10,wherein the locking mechanism comprises a ratchet on a shaft configuredto be moved only in the first direction without a key, wherein theinterior wall is attached to the ratchet, and wherein locking furthercomprises: locking the interior wall using the ratchet.
 15. The methodof claim 10, wherein the locking mechanism comprises a one way slip nuton a bolt, wherein the interior wall is attached to the one way slipnut, and wherein locking further comprises: locking the interior wallusing the one way slip nut on the bolt.
 16. The method of claim 10wherein the emergency equipment system further comprises an aircraftseat frame, wherein the housing is attached to a first side of theaircraft seat frame opposite to a second side of the aircraft seat framedesigned to receive a seat cushion.
 17. The method of claim 10, whereinthe housing is comprised of a rigid material.
 18. The method of claim10, wherein the piece of emergency equipment is selected from one of alife vest, a smokehood, a fire extinguisher, a portable oxygen unit, adefibrillator, and a megaphone.